Lyon confirm agreement in principle to sign Xherdan Shaqiri
Lyon have confirmed they have reached an agreement in principle with Liverpool to sign Switzerland winger Xherdan Shaqiri.
Earlier on Sunday it was reported that the two clubs had agreed a £9.5m for the Reds to depart with Shaqiri, who joined them from Stoke back in 2018.
L’Olympique Lyonnais est heureux d’avoir enfin trouvé un accord de principe avec Liverpool dans le cadre du recrutement du milieu de terrain international Suisse, Xherdan Shaqiri, qui s’était distingué face à la France lors du 1/8eme de finale de l’Euro.https://t.co/l8SqPPpAgs
— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) August 22, 2021
Ligue 1 side Lyon have now confirmed an agreement has been reached between the two clubs.
Their statement reads: "Olympique Lyonnais is happy to have finally reached an agreement in principle with Liverpool in the context of the recruitment of Swiss international midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, who distinguished himself against France in the Round of 16 of the Euros.
"Particularly motivated by the Olympique Lyonnais project, Xherdan Shaqiri will arrive in Lyon tonight where he will be welcomed by Juninho. The finalisation of the transfer remains conditional on the result of the medical examination that the player will pass this Monday morning and the finalisation of the last administrative formalities.
"After intense negotiations with Liverpool, OL would like to thank General Manager Billy Hogan and Sporting Director Michael Edwards for their availability and for listening to the joint requests of Xherdan Shaqiri and Olympique Lyonnais."
Shaqiri featured frequently during his first season at Anfield, helping Liverpool win the Champions League and finish second in the Premier League.
However, the following campaign he hardly featured, finishing it having appeared in just 11 games. The 2020/21 term was similarly frustrating, though he did feature more.
During his stay at Liverpool Shaqiri struggled to displace Liverpool's famed front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, often playing back-up at best.
He'll join a Lyon side who have made a disappointing start to the season. They are yet to win a Ligue 1 game, picking up draws with Brest and Clermont Font and losing 3-0 to Angers.
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